BOB AND KIRA- AMERICAN KESTREL FALCONS

Update: In November 2017, Kira, our female American Kestrel passed away unexpectedly. We're not quite ready to take her photos and stories down. Sponsorships are still encouraged to be made in her name.

Bob and Kira both came to ORC in 2005 as imprints (meaning they were hand raised by people). Imprinting is when birds do not recognize their own species or predators, cannot hunt, and think humans are their species. Bob and Kira both landed on people in Ventura when they could not find food and were so used to being hand fed by people. Imprinting is one of the most common yet preventable injuries among the birds in our education program. Learn more about it our FAQ section. Kestrels are different than most raptors in that you can tell the difference between males and females by their plumage. The most obvious difference is that Bob has blue-grey wings and Kira has rusty brown wings.

*Bob and Kira are foster parents during nesting season and will not be presented at most public events during this time!

Fun Facts:

American Kestrel Falcons are North America's smallest and most common falcon. They are also thought to be the most newly evolved of all the falcon species. You can see Kestrels on telephone posts and wires throughout our area and California in general. They are cavity nesters that primarily hunt small rodents, lizards and insects.

Ojai Raptor Center is a certified 501(C)(3) non-profit organization. EIN 77-0543286. ORC holds all necessary wildlife rehabilitation permits issued by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.